THIS INVENTION relates to an electrical contact assembly. It also relates to a housing and a probe for use in the assembly.
Testing apparatus such as continuity testers are well known. Such apparatus may be in the form of a probe having a contact which is selectively located at various points in an electrical circuit to monitor continuity.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided an electrical contact assembly, which includes
a probe including an electrically conductive contact member; and
a housing in which the probe is selectively at least partially receivable, the housing including a holding formation defining a holding zone in which an electrical cable is receivable and the contact member being displaceable into an operative position in which it is positioned in the holding zone to make electrical contact with the cable.
The housing may include an end portion which defines the holding formation. The end portion may be shaped and dimensioned to facilitate penetration of a wiring harness thereby to enable a user to locate the cable in the holding formation.
The end portion is typically tapered and defines a hook-like holding formation.
The holding formation may define a convex abutment surface which defines a terminal end of the holding zone and against which the cable abuts in use.
The housing may define at least one gripping formation shaped and dimensioned to facilitate gripping of the housing by a user. Typically, the assembly includes two concave gripping formations arranged in a syringe-like fashion. The gripping formations may protrude outwardly from an upper end of the housing.
The housing may include a locking member for locking the contact member in the operative position. Typically, the locking member is mounted pivotally to allow displacement into an operative position in which it frictionally engages the probe in such a fashion so as to retain the contact member in its operative position.
The probe may include a shaped body portion which is at least partially receivable within a complementary socket formation in the housing. The contact member may be mounted to a front end of the body portion and extend through the housing towards the holding zone.
The probe may include releasable mounting means for releasably mounting the contact member to the body portion. The contact member may be in the form of an elongate needle-like member. The releasable mounting means is typically in the form of an internal and external screw thread.
The body portion may include an outer component which is selectively received within the housing, and an inner component to which the contact member is mounted, and which is at least partially received within the outer component and displaceable relative to the outer component between a dormant position and an operative position in which the contact member is positioned in the holding zone.
The probe may include biassing means for biassing the inner component in its dormant position. The biassing means is typically in the form of a compression spring.
The inner component may define a hollow chamber arranged to receive electrical illumination means which has one terminal connectable to the contact member.
The inner component may be formed from at least a translucent material thereby to enable a user to monitor illumination of the electrical illumination means.
The housing may include reflection means for reflecting light emitted by the illumination means to facilitate detection thereof by a user.
The inner component may include a releasable closure member for retaining the illumination means within the hollow chamber.
The assembly may include a flexible lead. connected to another terminal of the illumination means and including a releasable electrical clip for selective connection to an earth line.
Further in accordance with the invention, there is provided a housing for use in an electrical contact assembly as hereinbefore described, the housing being arranged selectively and removably at least partially to receive a probe and the housing including an end portion which defines a holding formation, the end portion being shaped and dimensioned to facilitate penetration of a wiring harness thereby to enable a user to locate a cable in the holding formation.
The end portion is typically tapered and defines a hook-like holding formation.
The holding formation may define a convex abutment surface which defines a terminal end of a holding zone in which the cable is receivable and against which surface the cable abuts in use.
The housing may define at least one gripping formation shaped and dimensioned to facilitate gripping of the housing by a user. Typically, the housing defines two concave gripping formations arranged in a syringe-like fashion.
The housing may include a locking member for locking a contact member of the probe in an operative position in which it makes electrical contact with the cable.
The housing may include reflection means for reflecting light emitted by illumination means to facilitate detection thereof by a user.
Further in accordance with the invention, there is provided a probe for use in an electrical contact assembly as hereinbefore described, the probe including a body portion which is at least partially receivable within a housing, and a contact member mounted to a front end of the body portion and extending through the housing towards a holding zone defined by the housing for holding an electrical cable.
The probe may include releasable mounting means for releasably mounting the contact member to the body portion. The contact member may be in the form of an elongate needle-like member. Typically, the releasable mounting means is in the form of an internal and external screw thread.
The body portion may include an outer component which is selectively received within the housing and an inner component to which the contact member is mounted, and which is at least partially received within the outer component and displaceable relative to the outer component between a dormant position and an operative position in which the contact member makes electrical contact with an electrical cable in use.
The probe may include biassing means for biassing the inner component in its dormant position. The biassing means is typically in the form of a compression spring.
The inner component may define a hollow chamber arranged to receive electrical illumination means which has one terminal connectable to the contact member.
The inner component is typically formed from a translucent material thereby to enable a user to monitor illumination of the electrical illumination means in use. In other embodiments, the inner component is formed from a generally transparent plastics material.
The inner component may include a releasable closure member for retaining the illumination means within the hollow chamber.
The probe may include a flexible lead connected to the illumination means in use and a releasable electrical clip for selective connection to an earth line.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.